Band of Gold
by lavender ice
Summary: They took away the man she loved, leaving her with nothing... Nothing except a single band of gold.


**Title:** "Band of Gold"  
**Author:** lavender ice  
**Author's e-mail:** lavender_ice77@hotmail.com  
**Rating:** PG  
**Spoilers:** none  
**Genre:** Angst/Death  
**Summary:** They took away the man she loved, leaving her with nothing. Nothing except a single band of gold.   
**Archive:** sure, just tell me  
**Disclaimer:** All characters and places belong to JKR and affiliates such as Bloomsbury, Scholastic and Raincoat Publishing. In other words, none of this belongs to me. I mean no harm, and I promise to return them the way they were.   
  
~*~  
"And do you, Ronald Weasley, take this woman as your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, till death do you part, as long as you both shall live?"   
  
"I do."   
  
"Then by the power invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."  
~*~   
  
_Now that you're gone // all that's left is a band of gold // all that's left of the dreams I hold // is a band of gold // and the memories of what love could be // if you were still here with me_   
  
She sat, silently, alone in the dark. There she let herself get lost in the memories of him, memories of them. Though it always made her sad, she turned it into a daily ritual that no one else could understand because none of them had lost the love of their life on their wedding night. This made it hard for her to connect with them, and so she kept to herself, remembering the nights they shared, the vows they took, the words they spoke...   
  
~*~  
"Hermione Granger, will you marry me?"  
~*~   
  
She thought he would never ask. Of course, she said yes, and the look on his face at that moment told her exactly why. He looked like he'd won the Daily Prophet draw a dozen times over. His face was covered in a foolish, lovesick grin that melted her heart. With that grin, he gained control over her, though he never once took advantage of the situation. Not once did he ever pressure her into anything, and always took extra precautions to ensure that everything went as planned. He looked out for her, cherished her, and loved her more than she though anyone ever could.   
  
_You took me from the shelter of my mother // I have never known or loved any other // we kissed after taking vows // but that night on our honeymoon // we stayed in separate rooms_   
  
It was the memories that made her cry the most, especially those of that fateful night.   
  
~*~  
"You may kiss the bride."  
~*~   
  
Still, two months later, she could hear Dumbledore's voice, clear as ice. She remembered that Ron hadn't had to be told twice, for once. That one time, he listened to Dumbledore as though he was Merlin himself, and he kissed her with a passion that expressed all the pent up emotions of the past 13 years. The frustration, stemming from First Year; the unrequited love, stemming from Third Year; the jealousy he felt whenever someone else got too close, stemming from the day they met and continuing to that day; the pure love he'd felt for her all those years. That kiss, that one kiss, expressed his need to be with her, and her alone. It expressed his excitement for that night's coming attractions. The impact of it all stayed with her, making her both cry, smile, and flush at the same time. Even now that he was gone, he had that power over her.   
  
~*~  
"We need you."   
  
"_Now?_ I just got married, for Merlin's sake! I can't leave now."   
  
"We need you, Ron."   
  
"Why me?"   
  
"You are the best Auror we have. No one else could handle it."   
  
"I can't..."   
  
"Ron. You know I wouldn't ask you if I wasn't desperate."  
~*~   
  
Desperate. _They don't know what 'desperate' is,_ she thought. _Desperate is needing someone so much that you can't live without them with you. Desperate is needing them, but knowing you'll never have them, and clinging to any sort of base that can hold you to them._   
  
But they always said they were desperate. And he always believed him. It was in his nature to help people. Molly and Arthur had instilled that in him from the day he was born. It was part of what made her love him, and now part of what made her hate him.   
  
_I'd wait in the darkness of my lonely room // filled with sadness, filled with gloom // hoping soon that you'll walk right through that door // and love me like you tried before_   
  
~*~  
"I'm sorry, Hermione."   
  
"_Sorry?_ You're sorry that you have to leave our _wedding_? SORRY? Well, I'm sorry, too, Ron. But that just isn't good enough."   
  
"It's the truth."   
  
"I know it is. But it's still not good enough. I can't believe they're calling you away from your wedding! It's preposterous."   
  
"I know. I know."   
  
"Go."   
  
"What?"   
  
"Go. But remember I love you."   
  
"I love you, too. Never, ever forget that."   
  
"Now go. Before I change my mind."  
~*~   
  
_I love you, too. Never, ever forget that._ The last words he ever said to her, the last message he sent. Eight simple words that confirmed his love, his devotion. Then, it was the sweetest, most precious thing she could imagine. But now, alone in the dark, it haunted her. It sent chills through her body that even the warmest fire couldn't get rid of.   
  
_Since you've been gone // all that's left is a band of gold // all that's left of the dreams I hold // is a band of gold // and the dream of what love could be // if you were still here with me_   
  
It took her a week to cure the chills. She'd tried countess Charms and Potions, but still nothing. It was until she started dreaming, dreaming of some kind of alternate reality where he was with her, that she felt heat flow through her veins. The dreams became so real to her that she could often leave the world behind to immerce herself in the sweetest of them all...   
  
---*---  
_"Honey, I'm home!"   
  
"Hullo, Sweetie."   
  
"DADDY!!!"   
  
"Oooh, Kalee. How's my favourite little girl?"   
  
"Silly, Daddy. I'm your only little girl!"   
  
"All the more reason for you to be my favourite."   
  
"I love you, Daddy."   
  
"Yes, I love you, too, Daddy."   
  
"This is the life, have I ever told you that?"   
  
"Yes."   
  
"Oh."   
  
"Mummy, Daddy? Can we make cookies?"   
  
"Kalee, hun, you'll get cavities..."   
  
"Please?"   
  
"Of course we can make cookies! Would I ever refuse my favourite little girl?"   
  
"You'll be sorry you said that when she makes you wear the flowered apron."_  
---*---   
  
Everything she wanted was reality to her when she dreamt. It gave her enough strength to get her through the lonely days and the even lonelier nights. Without it, she was lost. And so she clung to it as a drowning person clung to a life preserver, for she was afraid of drowning in the tears she cried for him and for what she lost that night.   
  
_Don't you know that I wait // in the darkness of my lonely room // filled with sadness, filled with gloom // hoping soon that you'll walk right through that door // and love me like you tried before_   
  
That night. She'd told him to meet her at the hotel when he was finished. So, after the last guest had left, she Apparated into the room to wait for him. For hours she waited anxiously, expecting him to appear at any moment.   
  
She wasn't sure what time it was when Harry appeared; she was too busy wondering why he was there to pay attention to the clock.   
  
~*~  
"Harry, why are you here?"   
  
"Er..."   
  
"It's Ron, isn't it? Something's happened to Ron. Is he hurt? Is it serious? Where is he? C'mon, let's go."   
  
"Hermione... He's..."   
  
"No. No, please no. You're lying! You're lying. It's not true, it can't be true. Please, God, no..."  
~*~   
  
Part of her had known the moment Harry had appeared. But she hadn't wanted to admit it, not to him and not to herself; she still didn't. She was perfectly content to stay in the dark, dreaming of the day he'd come back to her. In the dark shadows of her mind, she knew it wasn't healthy. But there wasn't enough of her mind that was willing to let go. Mentally, she was connected to him through the wedding ring he'd given her: a simple band of gold.   
  
_Since you've been gone // all that's left is a band of gold // all that's left of the dreams I hold // is a band of gold // and the dream of what love could be // if you were still here with me_


End file.
